Antibacterial Nanobiocomposite Hydrogels Based on Polyphenolic Nanosheets Decorated with Ionic Liquid for Tissue Engineering

Nanocomposite hydrogels have been widely used in tissue engineering due to their unique physical, chemical and biological properties. In the present work we developed gelatin methacrylate-based hydrogels containing polyphenolic fraction of propolis based nanosheet (PFPNS). PFPNSs were surface modified (PFPNS@MPS-BIm-IL) to improve the mechanical and antimicrobial properties of hydrogels with methacrylate groups and synthesized biscationic imidazolium bromide ionic liquid, respectively. The PFPNS was inherently antimicrobial and the addition of the ionic liquid enhanced this property. By investigating the rheology of nanocomposite hydrogels (0, 1 and 2 wt % PFPNS@MPS-BIm-IL), it was found that nanosheets could reinforce the crosslinking networks. The nanocomposite hydrogel (2 wt % PFPNS@MPS-BIm-IL) had a structure with interconnected holes and showed good polymerization and adhesion inside natural bone defects. The results demonstrate that the prepared composition have potential to be a precursor for use as bioink and the production of complex three-dimensional structures via 3D-printer for bone tissue engineering.